No one enters a marriage expecting to be divorced. But this unfortunate outcome can and does happen, and it’s not always anyone’s fault. If you’re looking at an upcoming divorce case, you need the best matrimonial divorce lawyer in Tampa to help you through the process. Read on for information about divorce attorneys and what services divorce lawyers can provide.
What Is a Matrimonial Divorce Lawyer in Tampa?
A divorce or family law lawyer is a specialized attorney who can help you begin, proceed through, and end the divorce process. Divorce lawyers have many potential responsibilities and duties, including:
- Serving divorce papers to your soon-to-be ex-spouse
- Reading divorce papers or other court documents, like court summons, to make sure they are legitimate
- Negotiating with your spouse’s legal team or with your spouse themselves if it is too emotionally difficult for you to do so
- Fighting for you in court, so you are not financially or otherwise taken advantage of in terms of alimony payments, child support obligations, etc.
- Representing your interests during the divorce process in matters such as property distribution, child visitation rights, and more
Perhaps most important, a matrimonial divorce lawyer can provide emotional and knowledgeable support when you need it most. Divorce can be an emotionally harrowing and draining time. But attorneys can make the burden much easier and more manageable by taking a lot of the workload off your shoulders.
What Services Should the Best Divorce Lawyer in Tampa Provide?
An ideal matrimonial divorce lawyer will offer a wide range of family law services.
Divorce Services
Divorce services are critical no matter what tone your divorce takes. Matrimonial divorce attorneys can provide legal expertise and compassion, supporting you throughout the legal process from start to finish.
Even in apparently amicable divorce cases, there can be several areas of conflict, such as:
- Who ultimately caused the divorce
- How assets may be divided
- Who gets primary custody of the children
- Whether alimony payments are required/requested
- And more
Having a lawyer in your corner can be invaluable so you don’t feel overwhelmed and so you come out of the divorce in a strong, financially secure position. Divorce lawyers can counsel you during court appearances, gather evidence for you, or negotiate with your soon-to-be ex-spouse and their legal team if needed.
Military Divorce Services in Tampa Florida
The best matrimonial divorce lawyer will also be able to assist with military divorces. Military divorces can be different in several important ways compared to non-military divorces.
For instance, military benefits, such as health insurance and retirement pension, may need to be divided between both current spouses. A military divorce lawyer may also provide critical support in cases where your spouse has abandoned you or your child while you were deployed.
Many of the other common issues from non-military divorces could affect your military divorce as well, such as disagreements surrounding parenting rights, property division, child support, etc. Don’t go through a military divorce alone – hire knowledgeable attorneys who can support you whether you’re a veteran or are looking to be divorced from one.
Military Divorce: Understanding Your Rights and Options
Alimony Assistance from a Tampa Bay Lawyer
Alimony or spousal maintenance is any financial support that one ex-spouse provides to the other, either during or after a divorce. Alimony is one of the many provisions ordered by the court during the dissolution of a marriage.
The strength of your legal case can impact how much money you must pay or how much money you may receive from your ex-spouse. Having legal professionals on your side:
- Can maximize how much money you receive from alimony
- Can minimize the money you have to pay if you earned more money than your spouse during your marriage
Furthermore, lawyers can help determine whether alimony enters the divorce picture at all. If you want to end your divorce as financially secure as possible, you need alimony assistance from knowledgeable lawyers.
Child Support Services from a Tampa Bay Lawyer
Child support is similar to alimony in that it is financial support provided from one parent to the other. But it’s only meant to be used to pay for the needs of shared children.
Depending on the circumstances of your divorce, you or your spouse may be required to pay child support to each other. Florida state law requires that a parent receives financial support from the other parent, depending on several factors, including the income of each parent, certain expenses for the children, and the amount of time each parent spends with the children.
The best matrimonial divorce lawyer can help you receive as much child support as possible, particularly if you don’t have the financial means to support yourself post-divorce.
In cases where your ex-spouse is misrepresenting their finances and you are paying more child support than you should, legal professionals can help you set the record straight and stop exorbitant child support requirements.
Read more in our blog: Fathers’ Parental (Custody) Rights: How to Prepare & Negotiate in Tampa, Florida
Parenting Plan Assistance from a Tampa Bay, Florida Lawyer
When a couple with children divorces, many courts draft parenting plans that deliberately explain the rights and responsibilities of each ex-spouse. Parenting plans are created to reflect the best interests of the children and may include:
- Responsibilities regarding healthcare and education
- Time-sharing schedules for both parents
- Residence designations that determine where the child will live and go to school
- And more
Family law attorneys can ensure that your interests are represented alongside your spouse’s. They may help you see your children as often as possible, as well as make sure that your spouse’s schedule is set up for the best outcomes for your kids.
If you feel your current parenting plan is not acceptable for the well-being and best interests of your children, family law lawyers can help you petition for the plan to be revisited and/or modified.
Prenuptial Agreements from a Tampa Bay area Lawyer
Prenuptial agreements or “prenups” are important legal tools that protect soon-to-be-wed individuals from losing their income or valuables to a divorce. Prenuptial agreements are wise ideas if you or your fiancé are independently wealthy and want to protect your individual savings. You can read more in our blog: Considering a Prenup? Everything You Need to Know About Prenuptial Agreements.
But prenuptial agreements are complex documents and it’s important that they are drawn up with care and attention. Experienced family law attorneys can prevent extensive and expensive court battles, make sure the prenup agreement covers all the important legal bases, and clearly states what the agreement covers.
With a lawyer’s assistance, you can address issues like:
- How marital property may be divided
- How assets and debts shall be managed by each spouse in a marriage
- Policies surrounding life insurance, pensions, and retirement accounts
- Alimony agreements if a divorce takes place in the future
- And more
Modification Services in Tampa, Florida
Although many court decisions are final, surprise factors may sometimes cause the circumstances or evidence in a case to change and lead to those decisions being changed.
In certain circumstances, the court may decide to modify orders such as parenting plans, child support agreements, child visitation rights, and even alimony. Family law attorneys in Tampa can help you petition for modifications to court orders and help you secure a better outcome or position for yourself after divorce.
While you could file for modifications of court orders in most cases, you will have a much better chance of your requested modifications being accepted with a legal professional working for you. Family law attorneys may help you gather appropriate evidence, draft your request properly, and more.
Florida Marriage Licenses
Ready to get married? In that case, you’ll need a Florida marriage license. You have to apply for the license at any Florida county clerk’s office.
But getting married also includes other obligations and requirements, like some type of ceremony, ID, and paying certain fees. Lawyers can help you get married legally and quickly by:
- Ensuring you have all your legal requirements taken care of
- Helping you draft prenuptial agreements if applicable
Paternity Testing in Tampa Florida
Paternity testing is an important process for establishing fatherhood. Every child deserves a legal father, but in cases where a child’s biological father is in doubt, paternity testing uses genetic testing to prove whether a person is the parent of a child.
If you want to make sure a child is truly yours, you can rely on family law attorneys to secure an administrative order requiring genetic evidence proving your fatherhood.
Paternity testing is crucial to avoid paying child support or having fatherhood rights imposed upon you by default. It’s also important to prevent paternity fraud.
Enforcement Legal Assistance with a Tampa lawyer
If your ex-spouse is not complying with a court order, like an alimony agreement or child support order, lawyers can help with the enforcement of those court orders. Non-compliant ex-spouses can be found in criminal or civil contempt and face many important penalties in the process.
But proving noncompliance can be difficult when you are alone. The right lawyers can gather evidence on your behalf, present that evidence compellingly, and get the court to make sure that your ex-spouse does what they are ordered to do.
Contempt of Court Services
A person is in contempt of court if they don’t comply with a court order. Family law attorneys can assist if your current or ex-spouse is not complying with court orders, like:
- Not appearing in court as a designated date
- Not making child support payments
- Not making alimony payments
If your spouse refuses to listen or negotiate with you, lawyers can negotiate on your behalf and speak to their legal team to clear things up.
Domestic Violence Legal Services
Domestic violence is an unfortunate and harrowing experience. Some individuals find it difficult to escape domestic violence situations alone.
Family law attorneys may tell you what evidence to collect to document the domestic abuse you have experienced. This evidence may also be used to prove that your marriage is irretrievably broken and must be dissolved.
Compassionate lawyers can help you through every step of the divorce process, and even help you acquire a temporary injunction (also called a temporary restraining order in other jurisdictions). In Florida, you can acquire such an order without a hearing based on your sworn statements. Knowledgeable lawyers can also help get a court to extend temporary restraining orders or refer you to other resources.
Read more in our blog: Facts About Domestic Violence and Psychological Abuse
Relocation Services
Has your spouse relocated by themselves or with your children without your consent or without a court order? Or, do you have a compelling reason to relocate with the children? You may need relocation services from educated attorneys.
Parents and ex-spouses in child support or child time-sharing arrangements must receive written consent from the other parent before moving or relocating. They must also receive a court order allowing them to do so.
If you need a court order to relocate, or if your ex-spouse has relocated and not done this, contact family law attorneys to get the legal support you need ASAP.
Property Distribution Assistance
When a marriage dissolves, both ex-spouses must determine how property should be distributed. This can be very complex, especially when it comes to items obtained during the marriage, like a house or shared furniture.
The right legal professionals can assist throughout the divorce process and ensure that you retain the objects that matter the most to you based on:
- Who purchased the property
- How much money each spouse made
- Whether one spouse or the other (or both) have the emotional ties to the property in question
Mediation Services
Not every divorce ends in a court case. If you and your spouse believe you can amicably separate, mediation might be ideal, as well as cheaper and faster.
Still, your matrimonial divorce lawyer can help you proceed through the mediation process smoothly and ensure that your divorce agreements are hammered out correctly and accurately. During mediation, the parties get to decide on the issues. At this point a judge will not order you or your spouse to do anything; you must both agree to a resolution to each pain point or item of conflict. If you do not agree, then you have to have a trial at which the judge will decide.
This can be very difficult, even if you and your spouse respect each other. Lawyers can help you both come to appropriate arrangements and ensure that everyone walks away from the table satisfied.
Contact Hunter Law a Tampa Bay Matrimonial Divorce Law Firm
Your divorce doesn’t have to be complicated, stressful, or difficult. With the right matrimonial divorce lawyer working for you, you can divorce your spouse and ensure that your divorce agreements work in your favor or protect you financially. Divorce lawyers may also help you settle the complicated issues surrounding child support, alimony, and more.
There’s no reason to wait. Hunter Law is the best family law firm in the Tampa area. Thanks to our years of experience, we’re well-equipped and ready to assist with your upcoming divorce case no matter its circumstances or details. More than that, our attorneys will remain compassionate and supportive to help you get through this difficult time.
Contact us today for a free case evaluation and consultation.